Design tips: Just some things for you to think about!

There is an art to scrapbooking!

Scrapbooking is based on some of the same basic design rules as
painting/drawing, graphic design,

interior decorating, photography, landscaping, etc!

So I've got some things for you to think about that may help your scrapbooking design.

There is a basic rule called the
"Rule of Odds".

The gist of this rule is that things arranged in odd numbers
are more pleasing to the eye.

When making a layout, card, or project think about using things like pictures, embellishments, and papers in groups of 3, 5, 7, and so on!

There is a similar rule called the
"Rule of 3's".

The basic gist of this rule is that things arranged in 3s are more appealing, memorable, and pleasing to the eye than other numbers of objects.

OK so let's look at some examples of these rules in action...

Check out this layout by Virginia.

She's got 3 pictures, a cluster of 3 pumpkins at the top, and a cluster of 5 pumpkins at the bottom.

She used corrugated cardboard on 3 different places on this page.

(can you find them?)
She's even got 3 different areas where she has clustered embellies and/or journaling: a

bove the pictures, to the right of the pics, and then below the pics.

Way to abide by the rules Virginia!
:)
*****

There are some good "odds" in this layout by Kim.

She used 5 pictures.

There are 7 flags in the banner she created.

She even did her journaling on a cluster of 3 label stickers above the pictures on the left side of the page.

*****
Look at this one that I made for the "Stampy McStamperson" challenge.
I've got 3 stamped images, 3 buttons, and 3 asterick thingys from the pack of American Crafts Thickers to embellish around the picture.

I used the striped paper (which I adore) in 5 different places around the edges of the page.

*****
Look at this one that Noel made using the Bedford Falls kit.

She has some less obvious "odds" going on here!

She used 3 main colors: blue, red, and green.

She has text distributed in 3 places: the title with the tiny alpha stickers, the journaling block, and then the "Merry Christmas" tag on the left corner of the picture.

There are 3 stars under the "star" in the title of the layout.

She used 3 different strips of patterned paper underneath the pictures.

See!!

There are odds everywhere!
:)

*****

OK now check out this one that Leah just posted with the Mary Ellen kit.

This one is interesting!
She has her layout divided up into 3 sections by using different patterned papers.

She has created a distinct left side, middle section, and left side.

She used 3 buttons.
It looks like she has used 3 prominent colors: green, blue, and red.
She has 3 clusters of embellies: bottom left corner of the page, bottom right corner of picture, and then at the top right corner of the picture.
Leah has all kinds of 3's going on here!

OK I hope these tips/rules help you the next time you start to put together a project!
Let me know if you have any questions!
:)

gretchen

Title Tip

I have totally fell in love with these Pink Paislee chipboard stickers that Noel put in the "Object of my Affection" kit and have used them on everything I can. Well in doing that I have started to run out of certain letters. For this layout I had to be a bit creative with my stickers!

Look closely below and you can see the "C" was originally a D... I just snipped off the edges. And the "E" on the end of 'exchange' is a number 3 that I just turned backwards. If you look closely you can spot these things but I think they just help to keep my title interesting!




So next time you are in a bind and are out of letter stickers, think creatively!!
Thanks for stopping by!

Fun with Foam!

If you're like me you have tons of old Foam Thickers hanging around, today I'm gonna give ya a quick and fun way to revamp those older foam letters!


Gather your supplies
Heat Gun
Foam Letters
and something to impress the foam (I used a fork here)



On my card I used my heat gun to heat up the foam letters and then quickly pressed the fork into the foam while it was still hot. If you aren't happy with the result you can reheat it again and redo it. Once it cools it will leave a cool impression in your foam.




Here is an older layout that I used the same technique for my title letters. This time I used a Fiskars texture plate to press into the heated foam letters.




I'd love to see what you can come up with your self with foam!
Thanks for stopping by!

Title Tip

When I went to do my title I realized I didn't have enough letters to spell out 'Valentine'. Instead I decided to abbreviate the word and use a symbol. This is also a great way to shorten a title to fit a space.



Replacing letters with objects and abbreviating titles are fun ways to add interest to your pages.

This is just one way to spice up your page, the design team each month will give you different ideas and fun ways to add interest to your projects!!

Thanks for stopping by!
Kim